Naxxar guest house plans sent back over 30m depth limit

The Planning Commission has suspended an application for a guest house in Naxxar, asking the architect to submit revised plans to address a breach of the 30-metre building-depth limit.

At a meeting held this morning the Planning Commission chaired by architect Elizabeth Ellul, instructed the architect of proposed guest house in Naxxar’s historical core to upload fresh drawings showing that the proposed development would remain within the 30-metre depth measured from the Urban Conservation Area (UCA) boundary.

The application presented by Mancunian Ltd a company owned by Victor Chetcuti proposed changing the property's use from residential to a guest house, with 27 rooms spread over five floors.

The development also involves excavating the existing back garden to accommodate guest facilities, including a swimming pool, breakfast area, gym and lounge, as well as an accessible roof garden at Level 1.

As MaltaToday reported on 9 November, the Planning Authority's case officer had recommended approval despite acknowledging that the proposed basement and upper-floor additions exceeded the 30m limit established by policy DC15.

The case officer considered the departure acceptable because the stepped design would screen existing blank party walls, improve the relationship with neighbouring buildings and retain some open space.

The commission, however, instructed the architect to ensure that the development did not exceed the 30m depth from the UCA side and from the development-scheme side, so that the unsightly blank party wall would be screened.

It also indicated that a covered, lightweight passage could be allowed to link the two structures. The architect was additionally asked to include landscaping with indigenous trees and shrubs and provide further details about the services area.

The architect has until 26 January 2027 to submit the revised drawings. The decision echoes an earlier intervention by the same commission over a proposed boutique hotel in an historic palazzo and garden in Qormi.

In that case, the commission also challenged a breach of the 30m development limit and demanded substantially revised plans.

The Qormi application, which proposed 21 hotel rooms and 17 swimming pools in the garden of Palazzo tat-Tabib Maempel, was eventually refused on 30 July after the developer failed to submit revised drawings removing the additional accommodation wings and pools.

In the Naxxar case, the commission has given the applicant until January to address its concerns rather than refusing the application outright.

The case officer has been instructed to update the planning report and, if no revised drawings are submitted, to provide reasons for refusal.